Electrical power is typically supplied to a customer's home or business by an overhead service drop. The service drop typically includes a plurality of electrical conductors extending from a nearby utility pole to an anchor point at the customer's location. For example, a triplex drop includes a neutral conductor and a pair of insulated conductors wound around the neutral conductor. The neutral conductor is mechanically tied to the pole and house by respective wedge clamps. The insulated conductors are hot or power wires, and the neutral conductor also serves as a messenger to mechanically support the triplex. For different types of electrical service, a quadraplex cable may be used including three power conductors and the neutral messenger, or a duplex cable may be used including the neutral messenger and a single power conductor.
Unfortunately, the overhead service drop is subject to being knocked down by trees or other falling debris, such as during a storm, for example. Oftentimes, the overhead service drop will pull lose from the customer's location. This leaves a potentially energized wire conductor on the ground and subject to contact by persons nearby. Damage may also occur to the building as the anchor is pulled therefrom. Of course, the overhead service drop may also pull lose from the pole thereby causing damage to the utility transformer or distribution line, for example.
Accordingly, it has been proposed to engineer the overhead service drop so that a falling tree will cause the end of the service drop closest to the utility pole to preferentially separate. This leaves a relatively short section of potentially energized cable at the pole. In addition, damage at the building and/or at the utility pole may also be avoided.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,499,709 to Whitman et al. discloses such a preferential breakaway overhead service drop. A shear pin is used to join two connector portions adjacent the utility pole for the self-supporting, power conductors. The shear pin is sized to sever and release the self-supporting overhead service conductors adjacent the utility pole.
The Electric Power Research Institute is pursuing a similar technology wherein the conductors for three service drops are connected to busses within an overall enclosure. Female separable connector portions are attached to the buses within the housing. Male connector portions are coupled to the conductors of the service drop and then mated with the female connector portions in the housing. This arrangement may also permit the ready repair of the downed service line. In other words, a utility crew could more readily remate the connector portions, instead of repairing or replacing conductors and connectors, for example. The homeowner is typically responsible for repairs of any structural damage. In some storms, as many as ten thousand customers may experience an outage of the overhead service drop. Accordingly, if the rematable connector approach prevents damage to the building and facilitates quick restoration of service, customers and the utility company will benefit. Unfortunately, the proposed EPRI approach now services three houses and this requires that the overall housing be pivotable on the utility pole over a relatively large angle to permit release of service drops attached at an angle. This approach is also relatively complex and expensive.